


Bad Dream

by sash4kyu (emotional_fool)



Series: EXO Oneshot/Drabbles Collection [6]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Divorce, Drama & Romance, M/M, Married Couple, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 07:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18868363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emotional_fool/pseuds/sash4kyu
Summary: Baekhyun will give what Chanyeol wants, even if in the process his heart gets broken into a million pieces.





	Bad Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted as a tweetfic so the style and pace is not exactly structured as for a short story.

 

Baekhyun never wanted to do this. He wanted to try; try even harder. But Chanyeol has left him no choice.  
  
He will leave his set of keys to the house, Chanyeol's house, as well. He quietly places the manila envelope on the table and turns around to leave.  
  
But as if fate was never on his side. He bumps into the armchair and it makes a screeching sound in the dead silence of the house.  
  
Closing his eyes for the impending conversation, baekhyun stops and stays rooted at his position.  
  
Soon enough, as predicted, heavy footsteps make way towards from him.

The way he is dragging his feet, Baekhyun is sure Chanyeol is still half asleep. He does not want to give in, but the picture in his mind makes him smile.  
  
Catching himself on time, baekhyun schools his expressions into one of nonchalance and turns around to only get punched in the guts. His heart is beating so fast like it will explode out of his chest. No matter how much he commands his head to not react, his heart works on its own.  
  
He will never stop loving Chanyeol. But he can never stay with him also. Not when the other himself said so.

Chanyeol looks surprised to see him here. And baekhyun thinks he might even be angry. Maybe he was with her. Maybe she is upstairs; in THEIR room; Sleeping on THEIR bed.  
  
Baekhyun stops himself before he makes a mess of him.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Chanyeol might have said it casually but all baekhyun hears is -  
"What are YOU doing here? Why are you here? What do you want?" It does not help his dying hope and broken heart anymore. He wouldn't cry though. He wouldn't give Chanyeol the satisfaction to see him cry. If their relationship didn't matter to Chanyeol, baekhyun will not let it matter to him as well.  
  
Baekhyun grabs the envelope and marches towards his husband, with head held high and jaw locked onto place. He all but throws the paper at chanyeol's chest and the satisfaction it gives him almost makes him relax. Almost.  
  
Chanyeol looks bewildered. He was shocked to see baekhyun here but is completely stunned by what his husband just did.  
  
Good. Baekhyun thinks.

 

Chanyeol seems like he wants to say something. For a second baekhyun thought he saw a glint of happiness but why would Chanyeol be happy!! Baekhyun denies the possibility that it’s after seeing him here.  
  
Baekhyun waits with bated breath as Chanyeol finally studies the papers. There are a plethora of emotions that baekhyun see playing through other's face. For a second, baekhyun sees raw pain on chanyeol's face. Chanyeol wouldn't raise his head and it annoys baekhyun. He wants to see what chanyeol is thinking. If he is hurt then is it possible that –

 

Baekhyun stops himself before he can dwell deeper. He wouldn't do this to himself. He would not give himself false hope. He saw everything with his own eyes. Heard each and every word with own ears. Even if those cutting words were not directed at him he got the message, loud and clear. It had taken him a week to get his bearings and when he did, there was only one way he could see. He will give Chanyeol what he wants. He will not die every second of the day, loving a man who doesn’t love him back. He will move on.

 

Chanyeol finally lifts his gaze and bores into baekhyun's teary ones. He looks tired. Yeah, carrying on a dead relationship must have burdened him. Baekhyun will free him from the shackles. He has a lot of things to say to Chanyeol though. He wants to march up to him and beat him till he bleeds. Like baekhyun is. The gash left on his heart, his soul runs so deep that it bleeds from everywhere.  
  
Baekhyun wants to ask so many 'whys' but he is also scared to get any answers in return. What if Chanyeol tells him that he never loved him? Baekhyun would not be able to live then. He will live rest of his life thinking Chanyeol, once in his life, was in love with him truly.  
  
Before he can say something he will regret later on. Something like - "I still love you Chanyeol. Please come back to me." He turns around to leave, muttering a quiet "send the papers after signing".  
  
Baekhyun does not want to wait even for a second. He looks around, maybe one last time, at the house he made into a home with Chanyeol by his side.  
  
Every corner is filled with a memory. Every memory is like a wound now.

 

"Wait", Chanyeol's deep voice stops baekhyun in his tracks. And his heart stops along with him.  
  
A shiver runs down his spine. A warmth thaw in his cold inside. It had just started to bloom when he hears chanyeol's next words.  
  
"I will sign it right now."

 

 

***

 

 

Baekhyun does not know how he got here but he finds himself knocking the door desperately, even if there is a perfectly able doorbell right next to him.

 

He moved in with his parents a week ago. Baekhyun clearly remembers the perplexed expression his mother gave him when he turned up at her door 2 in the morning.

She didn’t voice out any question but her stares were loud enough for baekhyun to know she wanted to know why her son was here in the middle of the night without announcing before. But she never asked anything. Gave him a glass water instead and asked if he had eaten and when baekhyun had refused to eat anything she had just nodded and taken him to his old room and gave him night clothes from his own wardrobe.

 

She had just patted his hair, gave a kiss on his head as baekhyun hid his face in her tummy to keep himself from sobbing. She had patted him lovingly saying nothing and just consoling him silently and baekhyun was glad that his parents were this supportive. They still were. Even if they hardly knew what went down. They only had this vague idea of their son fighting with his husband but after a few days they had realized it was not something simple and it had shown in their worried glances and wrinkled sad smiles.

 

Baekhyun once more is faced with his mother’s perplexed expression. But this time it might be due to his swollen red eyes and the tears that were still leaking down his face. He can feel the wetness but the sensation is so foreign to him it's almost like he is outside his own body.

 

His mother still does not question him. Nor does the paper in his hands. She immediately looks up at him and suddenly baekhyun can’t breathe with all the sadness that came crashing over him; his mother’s adding to his already suffocating one.

 

He steps into his room and locks it behind himself. And then just stand there. His back pressed to the door and the piece of paper clutched tight in his left hand.

 

He wants to tear it down or burn it away but all he does is throw it away and still it only manages to land a few feet away from him as if mocking him. Baekhyun finally gives in to the pain, to the anger, to the betrayal; to every emotion he had bottled up since that day he left his own house. He sinks down to the floor and bangs his head hard to the door behind him while beating his chest with his fists because he is unable to breathe. He can hear the sobs, not his own coming from beyond his door and he lets himself breaks down at last.

 

Everything crumbling down around him. His life, his marriage, his whole being.

 

 

What’s the point of living together when there is no reason anymore to? A relationship is as good as dead if there is no trust in it. Without love, you might still make it work but with no trust there is nothing left.

 

Baekhyun, somewhere deep in his heart, might still be in love with Chanyeol but he has decided to not make himself miserable. He will never stop loving Chanyeol but he will start loving himself more. He will keep himself above others from now on.

 

As Baekhyun waits outside lawyer’s office his will to do and survive this gets stronger and stronger. Chanyeol is running late, as usual. But baekhyun had thought he would be here early, assuming the other wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

 

It’s tragic and so surprising how the love disappears when a majority of your life you thought of spending the rest of your life with your loved one.

 

Happily ever after, is after all a myth only.

 

 

***

 

 

“Where is your client Mr Lee?”

 

Baekhyun is fidgeting in his seat. The judge in front of him looks almost sixty years old and has no friendliness on his features.

 

Chanyeol is still not here and Baekhyun is confused if he is angry or relieved about it; and if relieved - then about what? He is not sure.

 

“He is -”

 

“I am sorry for running late”

 

Mr Lee halts mid sentence as Chanyeol pushes through the door and pants breathless.

 

Baekhyun’s heart rate skyrockets. He has not seen Chanyeol in last one month. There is instant longing but is soon replaced with anger and sadness. He avoids looking at the male who moves to sit beside him. He can feel chanyeol’s stare warm his face. His knuckles have turned white from how tight he is fisting his hands. He finally releases a breath he was holding the moment he notices Chanyeol looking away.

 

“Let us resume the proceedings.” This time it is Mr Kang, Baekhyun’s lawyer who hands over all the papers to the judge.

 

“Are you two sure you want this Divorce? This is final; the moment I sign these papers and stamp it. It is over. Do you still want to proceed?”

 

Baekhyun gives in first and looks at the man he vowed to love till the end of times. He wishes it had not come to this. He wishes there was still a chance left. He wishes the love they had did not end like this.

 

Chanyeol finally turns to look at him. And Baekhyun is suddenly hit with a sadness that is not his own. There are unshed tears in chanyeol’s eyes and baekhyun is left breathless by the impact.

 

Chanyeol never cries.

 

Chanyeol did not want him so why does he look so sad. Baekhyun is unable to comprehend this situation. His hand is moving on its own, as if it has a mind of its own. And when he is just shy of the taller man’s cheeks the next words of the judge halts Baekhyun midway.

 

“What is this, Mr Kang? Do you think this is a joke? Your client has not even signed the papers!”

 

“What?” It’s Baekhyun who questions shocked and wide eyed.

 

Mr Kang sputters and runs to check the papers and it is true, he tells Baekhyun who is sitting there stunned.

 

What kind of situation is this? Baekhyun wonders to himself. He whips his head to look at Chanyeol who is already looking at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

 

How could he forget to sign the papers himself?

 

“You all can leave now. You would have to file again with fresh set of papers.”

 

The judge is telling the lawyers who look more crestfallen then their clients for some reason.

 

Baekhyun is on the door and chanyeol is just behind them when they hear the judge giving them an advice.

 

“Maybe you two should think about it again. Maybe it is a sign.”

 

The words keep repeating itself in Baekhyun’s head even after he has exited the courtroom.

Both the lawyers have disappeared; baekhyun being least bothered about their well beings.

 

Chanyeol is still walking beside him, lost in his own thoughts.

 

The moment Baekhyun turns to walk towards his car, a hand grabs him to stop.

 

“I-”

 

Chanyeol is not meeting his eyes but it is clear he has something urgent to say.

 

Baekhyun does not want to think much but his heart is hoping to hear what he desires with all his being.

 

“Baekhyun, please. Don’t do this.”

 

The tears finally escape baekhyun. The words he had been longing to hear since this ordeal started are finally out in the open.

 

Chanyeol looks confused for a second but instantly moves forward to wipe the liquid trails. His hands are warm, and baekhyun leans into the touch.

 

The tears do not stop.

 

“I love you.”

 

Chanyeol faintly whispers but even the pounding in Baekhyun’s heart is not loud enough to drown those words - words that Baekhyun is hearing after a long time. Words that still make him go weak in the knees. Words he has always longed to hear from the other. Words that brings out all the suppressed anger within him.

 

Baekhyun angrily wipes the tears and pushes Chanyeol hard. His eyes red from rage and a scowl takes over his face. “You love me! Really? Then what the hell were you doing with the wench in MY house, in MY bedroom, on MY bed.”

 

“You were mine”, Baekhyun grabs Chanyeol by the collar and pulls him forward. Not even an inch left between their lips. Their breaths intermingling with each other. The need to close the distance apparent in both of their eyes.

 

“I AM yours.”

 

And just like that the distance is between them yet again as Baekhyun peals himself away from Chanyeol’s reach.

 

“No. No. Listen to me, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol is pleading but baekhyun has had enough. There is nothing left between them. He has to stop this flame of hope before it burns him entirely.

 

“LISTEN TO ME.”

 

Chanyeol half yells and runs forward to stop baekhyun from leaving. He knows his hold must be hurting the other but he can’t let go of Baekhyun. Not again.

 

“You misunderstood everything. There is nothing between me and Hyeri.”

 

Baekhyun knows they all are lies. Chanyeol is lying to him. He saw with his own two eyes. How Chanyeol was submerged in the arms of another. How the space that belonged to Baekhyun was taken over by that woman.

 

Baekhyun still remembers the burn that has took over his entire being. How breathing had suddenly become the most difficult task. How there was a constriction in his chest that wouldn’t let the scream out. How his choked sobs had suffocated him.

 

Baekhyun never forgot that moment when he saw his whole life shatter in front of his very own eyes. When his heart broke into a hundred million pieces; to never be mended back.

 

“What you saw was right but what you thought of it was all wrong.”

 

There is an urgency in Chanyeol’s voice that no matter what Baekhyun is unable to not get affected by. No matter how much he does not want to listen to any of his words; no matter how much he wants to hurt Chanyeol how the other has, there is one tiny little detail that is restricting him from doing it. A fact that Baekhyun is still very much in love with Chanyeol. Even if all it has given him in last few weeks is pain and suffering - the love shockingly has never decreased.

 

“She was drunk and sputtering nonsense about killing herself if I didn’t love her back. And I don’t. I never will.”

 

Chanyeol tries hard to project the truth from his voice so that Baekhyun is able to hear him clear; understand him better; to believe him back.

 

“Because I love you.”

 

This time when Chanyeol steps forward Baekhyun does not move. With hesitant steps Chanyeol cups Baekhyun’s cheek and when the other does not pulls away from the touch, Chanyeol leans his forehead on Baekhyun’s.

 

“I could have thrown her out but she was drunk and it was past midnight. She didn’t have her phone on her too. I don’t even know how she got to our house. I was just trying to be polite. I swear I was going to send her home the moment she was conscious enough to stand on her own two feet.”

 

Chanyeol says everything in one breath in fear of Baekhyun breaking out of this trance and turning away.

 

“What you saw was just me trying to put her to sleep after she passed out in our living room.”

 

Baekhyun does not know what to say. Was this all a misunderstanding!

 

“But you told me to leave.”

 

“Because you were accusing me of something I didn’t even do!”

 

There is lingering sadness mixed with anger in Chanyeol’s voice as he tries to make baekhyun see the truth.

 

“You just saw a moment; that too out of context and questioned my love for you. You questioned our entire relationship. How was I supposed to react? Of Course I got angry.”

 

This whole time it was Baekhyun directing his anger towards Chanyeol but finally it is the other way round. Finally it is Chanyeol letting out his suppressed frustration at baekhyun’s behaviour.

 

“But what did you do. When I came to talk, you closed the door on my face. When I called you several times, left you hundred messages, you ignored them all and didn’t answer even one. How was I supposed to explain?”

 

“Well it is because then I was the one angry.” Trust Baekhyun to be snarky in such a serious situation as well.

 

Chanyeol is unable to hold in the laughter and gives out his infamous boisterous laugh. Baekhyun mock glares at him but even his smiles are unable to hide the warmth and fondness. Soon he is joining the other and the people around them must be thinking they are mad or something.

 

And maybe they both really are.

 

“So. You do love me, right?”

 

Chanyeol just roll his eyes and pull baekhyun into a bruising hug.

 

Inhaling each other scents and warmth, the both of them promise to not let go ever.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [CC](https://curiouscat.me/sash4kyu)   
>  [Twitter](https://twitter.com/sash4kyu)


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